Vehicle marker lamp



Jan. 21, 1964 MAGAZANIK 3,113,615

' VEHICLE MARKER LAMP Filed sept. 22. 1961 A I l' i WHW/wf@ (26 l FIG. l'

IN VEN TOR. Zouzs Magazamk United States Patent O 3,118,616 VEHICLE MARKER LAMP Louis Magazaniii, Skokie, lll., assignor to Doray Lamp Company, Inc., Chicago, Iii., a corporation of illinois Filed Sept. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 140,027 4 Claims. (Cl. 24U-7.1)

This invention relates to a marker lamp of the type usually associated with vehicles whereby the vehicles can be seen or identified from a distance at night or under adverse weather conditions. The marker lamps of this invention are particularly designed whereby they will withstand vibration and shock over an indefinite period.

It is well known that certain vehicles are subjected to operations which occasion extreme vibrations in the vehicle bodies, and it is also established that these vehicles experience large shock forces. Components which are attached to the vehicles are naturally subjected to corresponding vibrations and shock and, in many cases, these components can be damaged or rendered useless. This is particularly true in the case of lamps which are rigidly mounted on a vehicle body, since damage to the relatively delicate electrical parts will result in complete loss of effectiveness of the lamps.

lt is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a marker lamp having lamp mounting means which are designed to withstand vibration and shock over an indenite period.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a marker lamp and associated mounting means which will not be susceptible to damage or failure when the vehicle upon which the lamp is mounted is subjected to vibrations or sudden shock.

These and other objects of this invention will appear hereinafter and for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, specific embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a sectional elevation of a marker lamp and its associated mounting means;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a marker lamp of the type shown in FGURE l with the cover removed;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along a line 3 3 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a detail view of a particular ilexible strip which may be employed in the marker lamp assembly.

The present invention generally relates to a vehicle marker lamp of the type having bulbs positioned within an enclosed transparent or translucent housing. A mounting means is provided for the lamp consisting of a molded plastic base which is secured to the vehicle body and a flexible strip means secured to the base and having bulb holding means connected thereto. The strip means is provided with an outwardly extending portion and an intermediate portion upon which the bulb holding means is fixed. The intermediate portion is disposed whereby it will be free to move toward and away from the lamp base and torsionally with respect to the housing.

In a more specic version of the marker lamp of this invention, the mounting structure includes insulating means connected to the intermdiate portion of the strip and bulb contacts are secured to the insulating means. A hot wire is connected to the bulb contacts and the bulb holding means will be disposed with respect to the insulating means whereby they will be insulated from the bulb contacts. The flexible strip is made conductive as well as the bulb holding means, and conductive means will be employed for securing the iiexible strip to the vehicle body whereby a ground circuit to the body is provided.

Referring to the drawings for a description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, there is shown a marker lamp which is secured to a vehicle body 12.

lll Patented Earl. 2l, 1984 ICC Metal screw fasteners 14 extend through the base 16 of the marker lamp for connecting the lamp to the vehicle body. A conventional transparent or translucent cover 18 is adapted to t around the ring 2li disposed in the upstanding ange 22 of the lamp base. With this arrangement the cover 18, which is preferably formed of a plastic material, can be snapped onto the base. As Will appear, the lamp base can also be formed of molded plastic because of the ground circuit provided by this construction.

Secured at the ends of the rectangular base 16 by means of the fasteners 14 is a iiexible strip 24. The strip is provided with outwardly and centrally directed extending portions 26 which terminate in an intermediate portion 2S disposed parallel With respect to the base. The strip 24 is preferably conductive, as will be explained, and may be composed of Phosphor bronze or other conentional materials.

Secured to the intermediate portion 2S of the strip 24 by means of fasteners 31 are a pair of bulb holding means Si). The holding means comprise contoured jaws 32 designed to receive the conductive jacket 34 of the bulb 36. Projections 3S are formed in the periphery of the bulb jacket whereby the bulbs will be maintained in intertting relation by means of the recesses formed in the jaws 32.

Secured beneath the intermediate portion 28 of the strip 24 is an insulating member 4t). A bulb contact 42 is secured to the insulating member and insulated from the strip 24. The bulb contact extends from beneath the insulating member and terminates in a pair of ilexible contact arms 44. These arms resiliently press against the ends of the bulbs 36 and current is delivered to the bulbs through the lead 46 and contacts 42.

The construction of this invention is particularly advantageous in that a ground circuit is provided to the vehicle body in a particularly simple fashion. This ground circuit is provided through the jacket 34 of the bulb, through the bulb holding means 30, to the strip 24 and, finally, through the fasteners 14 to the vehicle body 12. With 'diis arrangement, a ground circuit results sirnply by attaching the marker lamp unit to the metallic body of a vehicle. It will also be apparent that the provision of the ground circuit in no way interferes with the shock mounting features of this invention.

T he intermediate portion 2S of the strip 24 is disposed within the lamp housing whereby this intermediate portion will move toward and away from and torsionally with respect to the stationary members of the assembly. There is no rigid connection of the bulb and its associated components with the housing or vehicle except through the strip 2li. With this arrangement, an ideal resilient mounting is afforded and protection against shock and vibration is guaranteed.

FlGURE 4 illustrates an alternative strip Sil which is especially designed for increasing the torsional flexibility of the bulb mounting means. This strip is provided with portions 52 which are necked down whereby a lesser deg-ree of resistance to twisting of the strip will result. This necked down area 52 comprises the outwardly extending portion of the strip corresponding to the portion 26 shown in FIGURE 1. yIt will be apparent that with this alternative arrangement the ability to withstand shock and vibrational stress will be increased.

The marker lamps of this invention are particularly suitable for use in conjunction with .trucks where they are ordinarily vertically disposed on the sides and where a good deal of rough treatment can be anticipated. It will be apparent, however, that the shock mounting principles of this invention can be readily employed in various land,

sea and air vehicles wherein problems of the type described would be encountered.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the above described marker lamp which provide the characteristics of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, particularly as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle marker lamp having bulbs positioned within an enclosed housing, the improvement comprising a shock mounting therefor, said mounting including an elongated base adapted to be secured to a vehicle, flexible strip means secured at its ends near the ends of said elongated base, said strip means having portions extending outwardly toward the center of said base and an intermediate portion disposed between said outwardly extending portions, and a pair of holding means xed to said intermediate portion for positioning bulbs within the housing, insulating means connected to said intermediate portion,

bulb contacts secured to said insulating means, means for connecting a hot wire to said bulb contacts, said holding means being insulated from said bulb contacts, and said exible strip means and said bulb holding means being conductive whereby a ground circuit is provided, said intermediate portion being disposed whereby it is free to move toward and away from said base and torsionally with respect to said housing along with the associated holding means, insulating means and bulb contacts.

2. A marker lamp according to claim 1 wherein conductive fasteners pass through and are in electrical contact with ythe ends of the eXible strip means, said fasteners connecting said base to said vehicle whereby the ground circuit is provided to said Vehicle.

3. In a vehicle marker lamp,

the combination comprising a at base member adapted to be secured to a vehicle,

flexible strip means having its ends secured directly to said at base member adjacent the ends thereof,

said strip means having portions extending outwardly from said base toward the center thereof and `an intermediate portion extending between said outwardly extending portions,

bulb holding means xed to and in electrical contact with said intermediate portion,

insulating means connected to said intermediate portion,

bulb contact means secured to said insulating means,

means for connecting a supply lead to said bulb con- Itact means,

said bulb contact means being insulated from said holding means,

said exible strip means and said bulb holding means being conduc-tive whereby a ground circuit is provided,

said intermediate portion being disposed whereby it is free to move toward and away from said flat base member and torsionally with respect thereto along with the associated holding means, insulating means and bulb contact means.

4. The combination of claim 3,

in which said at base member is made of electrically insulating material.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,817,091 Miller Aug. 4, 1931 2,509,832 Miller May 30, 1950 2,686,868 Diedring Aug. 17, 1954 2,730,611 Black Jan. 10, l1956 2,757,275 Lehr July 31, 1956 2,933,279 Thomas Apr. 19, 1960 l 2,979,603 Falge Apr. 11, 1961 

1. IN A VEHICLE MARKER LAMP HAVING BULBS POSITIONED WITHIN AN ENCLOSED HOUSING, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A SHOCK MOUNTING THEREFOR, SAID MOUNTING INCLUDING AN ELONGATED BASE ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO A VEHICLE, FLEXIBLE STRIP MEANS SECURED AT ITS ENDS NEAR THE ENDS OF SAID ELONGATED BASE, SAID STRIP MEANS HAVING PORTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY TOWARD THE CENTER OF SAID BASE AND AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID OUTWARDLY EXTENDING PORTIONS, AND A PAIR OF HOLDING MEANS FIXED TO SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION FOR POSITIONING BULBS WITHIN THE HOUSING, INSULATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION, BULB CONTACTS SECURED TO SAID INSULATING MEANS, MEANS FOR CONNECTING A HOT WIRE TO SAID BULB CONTACTS, SAID HOLDING MEANS BEING INSULATED FROM SAID BULB CONTACTS, AND SAID FLEXIBLE STRIP MEANS AND SAID BULB HOLDING MEANS BEING CONDUCTIVE WHEREBY A GROUND CIRCUIT IS PROVIDED, SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION BEING DISPOSED WHEREBY IT IS FREE TO MOVE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID BASE AND TORSIONALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID HOUSING ALONG WITH THE ASSOCIATED HOLDING MEANS, INSULATING MEANS AND BULB CONTACTS. 